Canon EOS 6D - why no builtin flash?

John from PA wrote in post #15007962
Likely a marketing decision based on many people using an external flash like one of the Speedlights. Personally, once I used a Speedlight, I never used the built in again. I don't like the extra weight, but I find the quality and ease of use well worth the extra effort.

I agree 100% with this statement. The pop up flash can make a real mess of things, better to just work with available light if you don't have a speedlight.

MikeWa wrote in post #15009251
Oh I don't know. How about subjects sitting at a table in front of a bright window. Or how about subjects with sunlight in their face. Or how about subjects in a shadow on a bright day when you want to retain some of the out of shadow detail. I frequently use a flash for these situations. And I hate carrying around a big flash unit on top of my camera. So I guess there could be times when a built in flash is not a bad idea.

Mike

The comment was off the cuff.

Sometimes that little built in flash comes in handy. I have used it 7D twice in two years. So for me , it has not helped that much.

tgara wrote in post #15008972
As several others have mentioned, it is probably because no Canon FF model has ever had a built-in flash.

macroimage wrote in post #15009703
No full frame digital has had a flash so far, however almost all of the film EOS SLRs were full frame and many had flash.

I don't really see any reason why they couldn't add a built-in flash to any camera.

Here are some old EOS FF film cameras with built-in flash.

Numenorean wrote in post #15009295
If you want a dinky worthless pop up flash on a nice full frame camera, then I guess you should go buy a Nikon. That is one of the last things I would base a buying decision on but anyway.

If I based my decision on it I would not be using a 1DIV. It is simply part of the equation.

It pays to know and use the tools you have.

A few weeks ago we were on a dinner cruise in Istanbul, Turkey. I couldn't carry camera backpack, Speedlites etc. However, this photo presented itself for a few seconds as the cruiseboat was pulling out of its slip. The lighting on the deck was miserable.

ISO 12800 and fill in popup... It is likely that I will not have another chance at this in a lifetime

Some times we need to take snapshots ---- It would be nice to have Pop Up flash for those situations where you don't bring the speedlight along.

MakisM1 wrote in post #15009912
It pays to know and use the tools you have.

A few weeks ago we were on a dinner cruise in Istanbul, Turkey. I couldn't carry camera backpack, Speedlites etc. However, this photo presented itself for a few seconds as the cruiseboat was pulling out of its slip. The lighting on the deck was miserable.

ISO 12800 and fill in popup... It is likely that I will not have another chance at this in a lifetime

Honestly i'd rather have the memory than a photo this bad. No offense as the conditions were just too poor for the equipment at hand...

I would just want it for flash control or occasional fill light. It works pretty well for fill on a sunny day for family snapshots.

jthomps123 wrote in post #15009924
Honestly i'd rather have the memory than a photo this bad. No offense as the conditions were just too poor for the equipment at hand...

Well, obviously we have different values... I'll keep the photos and the memories...

I think for spec sheets, pop up flash would look good, but in practice, its not used that much. Personally, I've never used the pop up flash on a DSLR and don't like the light it gives out.

A lot of the 6d specs are a bit confusing on paper, but I get the feeling the 6d will sell well once its released into the wild. I really wish it had a swivel screen though, but I suppose they couldn't find a way to make it sufficiently weather sealed for their liking. It wouldn't have added a huge amount of volume/weight, but if they aren't going to put on a swivel, then add a few buttons to the left side. You have the room...

Does the 6d have remote flash control like the 60d or 7d?

CyberManiaK wrote in post #15008940
Could be because none of the FF from Canon have one, and they have to continue with the tradition.

tgara wrote in post #15008972
As several others have mentioned, it is probably because no Canon FF model has ever had a built-in flash.

Uninformed nonsense. My Elan7NE IS full frame, and it HAS a pop-up flash. Please put brain in gear before engaging mouth (fingers).

Digital bodies and film bodies can't even be compared. Film are so much simpler and require much less internal space. I have owned my 7D for 2 years, and I think I have accidentally opened the flash twice, and that's the only time I've ever used it. If it keeps price lower and the body smaller, for me, there is absolutely no reason for a crappy pop up flash.

jthomps123 wrote in post #15009924
Honestly i'd rather have the memory than a photo this bad. No offense as the conditions were just too poor for the equipment at hand...

Does this comment strike anyone else as extremely rude? Had the poster been asking for criticism, fine. He was not. I dearly wish I had some photographs of my mother and my niece. The photographic quality of them would be of no interest to me.

Raylon wrote in post #15010980
Digital bodies and film bodies can't even be compared. Film are so much simpler and require much less internal space. I have owned my 7D for 2 years, and I think I have accidentally opened the flash twice, and that's the only time I've ever used it. If it keeps price lower and the body smaller, for me, there is absolutely no reason for a crappy pop up flash.

No one distinguished ff-film from ff-digital. They were grouped together as 'any full-frame' body.

I don't have a use for the locking mode button or the flippy screen on my 60D. Perhaps Canon should consult me BEFORE they design the next camera. Your lack of desire for a pop-up flash is hardly universal.

While I don't think a popup flash is a necessity and even on my T1i I almost never used it, there was a time recently where it would have been nice if my 5D3 had one. My hike in Yosemite up the Mist Trail. Having a pop up flash would have meant I could have left my 580 back at camp and not had to carry the weight up that strenuous hike. I needed the flash for a few shots of friends with the sun behind them.